Certain salad products from Dole Fresh Vegetables have been voluntarily recalled because they may be infected with dangerous bacteria that can cause a serious foodborne infection.
The FDA has issued a recall notice for a small number of cases of the company’s garden salad containers owing to “possible Listeria monocytogenes contamination.”
According to Dole, the “precautionary” recall was issued after a single sample of the salad tested positive for the bacteria during a random sample test done by the Georgia Department of Agriculture.
The recalled items were sent to 10 different states, including AL, FL, GA, LA, MA, MD, NC, PA, SC, and VA. The products include 24 oz Dole™ Garden Salad, 24 oz Marketside™ Classic Salad, 12 oz Kroger™ Brand Garden Salad and 12 oz Salad Classics™ Garden Salad.
According to the warning, the products should have passed their “best if used by” date and should no longer be on store shelves.
However, “consumers are advised to check the product they have in their homes” and discard any packages that match the concerned lot and UPC numbers, as well as any best if used by dates.
Dole stated that it is “working closely with regulatory officials” and that no illnesses have been reported as a result of the recalled products.
According to the CDC, listeriosis is a dangerous infection caused by ingesting food infected with the bacterium listeria monocytogene.
High temperature, severe headache, stiffness, nausea, abdominal discomfort, and diarrhea are all possible symptoms.
Still, the FDA says it can “cause serious and sometimes fatal infections in young children, frail or elderly people, and others with weakened immune systems” as well as lead to “miscarriages and stillbirths among pregnant women.”
